Welcome to KidsOutAndAbout.com's Capital District Newsletter for October 27, 2011

Publisher's Note:

Dear KOA readers:

I received a lot of feedback from last week's newsletter (thanks to all who wrote in!), in which I talked about how one of my daughters has been slow to warm up to reading, which means that I celebrate every small milestone along that winding road. That really resonated with a lot of parents who have been there too, celebrating small achievements while other parents seem to celebrate big ones all the time.

This past week, I was talking with author Marsha Hayles about this issue. Her kids are in college now, but she recalls that her youngest was so slow to appreciate reading that she read out loud to and with him, all the way into high school. And now, he is the most avid reader of all her children.  "I wish I had read out loud later even with my older two," she told me. "It was such a valuable time my son and I spent together." It's a great lesson, one that I will keep in mind.

2) I'm terribly behind with Halloween costumes, as usual. I usually manage to pull them off pretty well, but this year I've been so busy that I'm betting that I'm putting on the finishing touches to the costumes on Monday afternoon. The problem is that I set a high standard a few years ago with Madison as a piano, and now each year they expect me to match it. Well, this year, Madison wants to be Edvard Munch's The Scream painting--she's 12, it's the age--and Ella wants to be a painter. So now "all" I have to do is take a foamboard, paint The Scream on it, cut out a skull-shaped hole for her face to poke through, and attach some handles to the back so she can carry it around the neighborhood. Right? Right? Ella, I think, just needs a beret and a face twirly mustache, and she can use my palette and some brushes. Let's hope I don't succumb to the Scream temptation myself. Wish me luck.

3) Does anyone know places that host OVERNIGHT birthday parties? A reader emailed this week to ask, but for the life of me I couldn't think of any. Has anyone ever done this independent of scouts or groups like that? Please let me know where if so... that reader will be really grateful.

4) HALLOWEEN:
26 FUN Halloween Events for this weekend
9 SCARY Halloween Events for this weekend

5) Links you'll want to use this week...because many of them are finishing up this week. It should be a chilly, seasonable fall weekend!

Pick apples in the Capital District
Visit a corn maze and fall farm fun - the most active fun you'll have all year.
Cabbage Recipes Sent in by KidsOutAndAbout.com readers
The Secret to Great Apple Pie
Practical Solutions to the Problem of No Time to Cook
Indoor recreation
Museums
237 FREE events coming up

6) Does your organization offer classes, camps, or events? Organizations that offer family and kid-friendly activities—even if they are technically outside of Albany—can receive a free listing on KidsOutAndAbout.com, can manage it easily, and can post events to our extensive online calendars at no cost. For more information about getting a free organization listing, click here for a little video (make sure to turn on your speakers). There are also additional (low-cost) ways to obtain extra visibility to our readers, so please contact our Business Manager, June Santini at june@kidsoutandabout.com, about that if you are interested.

--Debra Ross, Publisher

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From your editor, Katie Beltramo:
 
Everyone ready for Halloween? My 9-year-old, M, is dressing up as Cleopatra, and J, the 7-year-old is an Eskimo girl. We still have some costume crafting--and some jack-o-lantern carving--to do before Halloween.
 
7) I hope you're all in the mood for Halloween, because there's some serious Halloween celebrating going on. You can get a little culture, like doing a bit of  Halloween Sculpture at the Hyde Collection, or check out The Not So Common Players' production of Zombie Prom (both FREE, by the way). Get a little pre-candy exercising in, hiking at Albany Pine Bush or rollerskating at Rollarama.
 
8) There's also plain ol' partying (apparently quite a bit of mashing and bashing), like the Mamatoga Momster Bash in Saratoga, the Halloween Bash at  Bethlehem Public Library, and the Monster Mash & Bash at the New York State Museum , the Children's Guide's Halloween Bash at Afrim's, or Colonie Center's Halloween Spooktacular.
 
9) Speaking of malls, you can find a trick-or-treating alternative at Crossgates Mall, or at Boo to You: Trick or Treating at Glens Falls, or Trick or Treat Street at Guilderland High School.
 
10) And if you have kids with a later bedtime than mine, folks are dancing Michael Jackson's Thriller as part of a world record at Boys and Girls Club in Albany or at the National Dance Museum in Saratoga.
 
Looks like by the time the actual trick-or-treating comes along on Monday, we'll all be exhausted!

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12) The Bravo Family, the Wall Family, the Woods Family, the Smart Family, and the Walker Family are our fictional families that take their kids to activities based on their particular interests. Here is what they are up to this weekend:

The Walker family focuses on health and physical fitness. Here are their plans this weekend.
Friday: Double M Haunted Hay Ride
Saturday: Albany High School Haunted House and Craft Fair
Sunday: Halloween Party at Rollarama

The Bravo Family loves the arts.
Friday: The Not So Common Players' Zombie Prom
Saturday: Mamatoga Momster Bash in Saratoga
Sunday: Haunted House at Rotterdam Square Mall

This is the Woods Family. They love nature and the great outdoors.
Friday: Halloween Howl Prowl at Albany Pine Bush
Saturday: Family Fun: All About Bats at Five Rivers
Sunday: Halloween Hike at Albany Pine Bush
Monday: Cemetery Walk & Ghost Stories at Grafton Lakes State Park

The Smart family focuses on educational and cultural activities. They also shop smart!
Thursday: Ductigami at Colonie Library
Friday: Halloween Bash at  Bethlehem Public Library
Saturday: All About Hallows Eve
Sunday: Halloween Sculpture Family Program at the Hyde Collection

The Wall Family prefers indoor activities. Here is their weekend itinerary:
Friday: Family Movie Night: Winnie the Pooh at Ballston Spa Public Library
Saturday: Monster Mash & Bash at the New York State Museum
Sunday: Haunted Mansion at Ten Broeck
Monday: Trick or Treating at Rotterdam Square Mall

13) Here is your day-by-day weekend guide to upcoming events:
Friday, October 28
Saturday, October 29
Sunday, October 30
 

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14) Have you checked out the results of our survey of Top Places to Take Kids in the Capital District? No? Well, check out the new page: Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Capital District

Here are the Category Winners!
Favorite Indoor Play Center: Tiny Tots Tearoom
Favorite Outdoor Play Center: Hoffman’s Playland
Favorite kid-friendly museum: New York State Museum
Favorite nature center: Thacher Park/Nature Center
Favorite farm (agri-entertainment): Indian Ladder Farms
Favorite professional sports team: Tri-City Valleycats (baseball)
Favorite children's theatre: Proctors Theater
Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to all of you who voted!

15) Folks who "Like" the KidsOutAndAbout.com Albany listing on Facebook find out about stuff in advance and even can enter Facebook-only giveaways, so make sure to Like us! These Facebook-Only Giveaways happen frequently, so don't miss a thing..."like" us today!

16) Have you wondered about creative places to host your child's birthday party in the Albany-Troy-Schenectady area? There are 86 Birthday Party Locations on our list; check them out!

17) I'm sure you can think of other folks who would enjoy finding out what's up for kids and families every week, so please, think of a few friends and forward it along! Here is the direct link they can use to sign up, themselves.

Have a great weekend!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

Katie Beltramo
Editor, Capital District KidsOutAndAbout.com

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